Here's How Obama Has Faced Racism As POTUS

Here's What President Obama Said About Facing Racism During His Presidency

When President Obama won the White House back in 2008, some hoped it was a sign that the United States was finally leaving behind its ugly history of racism and entering a new era by electing its first Black president.

The interview took place as part of a two-hour special called "The Legacy of Barack Obama." One of the things Zakaria emphasised was that the president "doesn’t see racism in mainstream opposition to him, but he does see it on the fringes."

People who have worked for Obama do think that race has played a part in the way his presidency is treated by those who clash with him, however. David Axelrod, a former senior advisor to the president who was interviewed for the special, is certain it had an effect.

"It’s indisputable that there was a ferocity to the opposition, and a lack of respect to him that was a function of race," he said.